Gate.



PATENTED NOV. 12, 1907.

D. A. VANDEVORT.

GATE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 25, 1907.

I anemia THE NORRIS Fl zns Cm, wAsnmuroM, n. c,

DAVID A. VANDEVORT, OF SCOTTSBURG, INDIANA.

GATE

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 12, 1907'.

[in lltlttlllll filed uly Z 1 1907' Serial NO 385539 certain new and useful Improvements in Gates, of

which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to a novel device for opening and closing swinging closures such as farm gates and the like, and aims to provide a construction which isfree from all dead centers and can be readily actuated at a distance from the gate through the medium of an operating cable.

To this end the invention resides principally in the provision of a horizontal crank shaft mounted at one side of the gate and having an operative connection with an extension upon the hinged end of the gate, the said crank shaft being actuated through the medium of a swinging frame having a shiftablc weight loosely mounted thereon and connected to an operating cable.

For a full description of the invention and the merits thereof, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l. is a perspective view of a gate embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a detail View of the guide member upon the gate and the cooperating crank arm.

Jorresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

The invention is shown as applied to a swinging gate 1 which may be of any approved construction, the swinging end of the gate being designed to engage a post 2 when the gate is closed while the opposite end of the gate is pivotally mounted in any desirable manner upon a gate post 3. An extension 4 is located at the hinged end of the gate 1 and carries an upright guide member 5 which is in the nature of a bar formed with a vertical slot 6 and provided at its extremities with the stub shafts 7 journaled upon the extension 4 and permitting the guide frame to swing about a vertical axis. A horizontal shaft 8 is journalcd upon a pair of standards 9 and 10 located at one side of the gate and the said shaft is so arranged as to be in alinement with the gate when the same is in an intermediate position between that assumed when either open or closed. The inner end of the shaft 8 carries a crank arm 11 terminating in a crank pin 12 having a flanged wheel or roller 13 mounted thereon, the said roller operating within the vertical slot 6 of the guide memher 5. This crank arm 11 has a hinged connection with the shaft 8 as indicated at 14 and it will be readily apparent that by rotating the shaft the crank arm 11 will operate to swing the gate 1 and that by this means the said gate may be either opened or closed as may be desired.

swinging frame is rigidly connected to the helizontal shaft 8 and comprises in the present instance a strip l5 secured at an intermediate point to the said shaft while the extremities thereof are connected to a guide bar It; curved longitudinally. Slidably mounted upon this guide bar It; is a weight 17, the said weight being provided at one side with a projection or eye 18 engaging an operating cable 19 extending upwardly through a guide member 20 upon the upper portion of the standard 1!) which is extended above the opposite standard The cable also passes through a similar guide member 21 upon an upright 22 located at one side of the road or passage way normally closed by the gate.

The swinging frainc upon the horizontal shaft 8 is so arranged that the guide bar 16 will assume an upright position when the gate is either opened or closed and is swung from one side of the shaft to the opposite side as the gate is moved from one posit ion to the other position. The weight 17 slides freely upon the bar 16 and normally assumes a position upon the lower portion of the same. When tension is exerted upon the operating cable 19 however the weight 17 which is at the lower end of the guide bar binds upon the latter owing to 1h 0 fact that the eye 18 is slightly offset from the guide bar and also owing to the curved formation of the guide bar. It will thus be apparent that the pull upon the cable 19 will operate to tilt the swinging frame over to the opposite side of the horizontal shaft 8 and in so doing will revolve the shaft and move the gate either from an open to a closed position or vice versa. As soon as the pull upon the cable is released the weight 17 which is now at the upper end of the guide bar will more to the lower end of the said guide bar and the device is again in condition for operating the gate. It will thus be apparent that by repeatedly pulling upon the cable 19 and releasing the pull upon the same the gate can be swung back and forth upon the gate post 3. It is also desired to direct attention to the fact that when the gate is either in an open or a closed position the crank arm ll is approxminately horizontal and the gate is locked in position since a dead center exists between the shaft and any force applied to the gate. It will be observed however that when the gate is operated through the medium of the cable 19 it has a continuous movement from one position to the opposite position and there is no possibility of the formation of dead centers. In the present instance the second operating cable 19 is shown as passing through a guide 21" carried by an upright 22 located upon the opposite side of the gate to the upright 22. This construction enables the gate to be either opened or closed from either side thereof.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. The combination of a swinging closure provided at its hinged end with an extension, a shaft journaled at one side of the swinging closure and arranged in alinement therewith when the same is in an intermediate position between open and closed, a crank arm carried by the shaft and having, an operative connection with the extension, and means for rotating the shaft to operate the swinging closure.

2. The combination of a swinging closure provided at its hinged end with an extension, a guide member loosely mounted upon the extension, a shaft journaled at one side of the swinging closure, a crank arm carried by the shaft and having a sliding connection with the guide member, and means for rotating the shaft to operate the swinging closure.

3. The combination of a swinging closure provided at its hinged end with an'extension, a guide member loosely mounted upon the extension and provided with a slot, a shaft journaled at one side of the swinging closure, a crank arm hinged to the shaft and provided with a pin received loosely Within the slot of the guide member, and means for rotating the shaft to operate the swinging closure. I

4. The combination of a swinging closure, a horizontal shaft journaled at one side of the swinging closure, means for operating the swinging closure by rotating the horizontal shaft, a guide bar carried by the said shaft, a weight slidable upon the guide bar, and means cooperating with the weight to rotate the shaft.

5. The combination of a swinging closure provided at its hinged end with an extension, an upright bar loosely mounted upon the extension and formed with a vertical slot, a horizontal shaft mounted at one side of the swinging closure, a crank arm carried by the shaft, a roller carried by the crank arm and operating within the vertical slot, and means for rotating the shaft to operate the swinging closure.

6. The combination of a swinging closure provided at its hinged-end with an extension, an upright bar loosely mounted upon the extension to swing upon a vertical axis, the said bar being formed with a vertical slot, a horizontal shaft mounted at one side of the swinging closure, a crank arm hinged to thehorizontal shaft, a roller carried by the crank arm and operating within the vertical slot of the bar, and means for rotating the horizontal shaft to open and close the swinging closure. r

8, The combination of a swinging closure, a shaft mounted at one side of the swinging closure, means for operating the swinging closure by rotating the shaft, a guide bar carried by the shaft and designed to assume an upright position upon either side of the shaft according as the swinging closure is opened-0r closed, a weight slidable upon the guide bar, and a cable cooperating with the weight to rotate the shaft and operate the swinging closure. I

9. The combination of a swinging closure provided at its hinged end with an extension, a shaft mounted at one side of the gate and provided with a crank arm having an operative connection with the extension, a frame mounted upon the shaft, a weight shiftable upon the frame, and a cable cooperating with the weight to rotate the shaft and operate the swinging closure.

10. The combination of a swinging closure provided at its hinged end with an extension, a guide member loosely mounted upon the extension, a horizontal shaft mounted at one side of the swinging closure and provided with a crank arm having an operative connection with the guide member, a frame mounted upon the horizontal shaft and comprising a guide bar designed to assume an upright position upon either side of the shaft according as the closure is opened or closed, a weight slidable upon the guide bar, and a cable cooperating with the weight to operate the swinging closure.

11. The combination of a swinging closure, a shaft mounted at one side of the swinging closure, means for operating the swinging closure by revolving the shaft, a longitudinally curved guide bar carried by the shaft and designed to assume an upright position upon either-side thereof according as the closure is opened or closed, a weight slidable upon the curved guide bar, and a cable cooperating with the weight to operate the shaft.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

DAVID A. VANDEVORT. [L. s.]

Witnesses:

WILLIAM A. HITCHBORN, ROBT. DHDAVIS. 

